B.C. to hike commercial vehicle crash penalties after 35 over-height truck incidents

Penalties for commercial truck crashes into overpasses or other infrastructure in British Columbia are set to soar, including fines of up to $100,000 and jail sentences up to 18 months.

The New Democrat government says it's proposing changes to the Commercial Transport Act that currently prescribes fines for over-height vehicles of $500 to $598, levels that are unchanged for decades.

Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says the proposed changes are in response to 35 crashes involving over-height commercial vehicles since late 2021.

The province last month cancelled the operating licence of B.C. trucking firm Chohan Freight Forwarders after one of its commercial vehicles lodged a steel girder in an overpass over Highway 99 in Delta in December.

Fleming says laws surrounding highway infrastructure crashes in B.C. have not changed since the 1970s, and the proposed maximum penalties for commercial transport violations will exceed those of other provinces and territories.

B.C. Trucking Association president Dave Earle says in a statement the association supports the proposed penalty increases.